Beginnings
by horsewithnoname
Summary: A look at the affair between Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter.
1. beginnings

The diamond earrings sparkled as Mrs Coulter held them up to the light. They were expensive, 2000 pounds Edward had informed her when he bought them. He assumed that a few trinkets were enough to keep her happy. They weren't. Her daemon, the golden monkey paced the room restlessly.

"You know, this was all wewanted a few months ago" She said to him, a hint of sardonic laughter in her voice.

The monkey didn't answer. They had wealth now and power, albeit an unofficial kind, but it wasn't enough anymore. They had become accustomed to life at the top of London society as quickly as they had risen to it. Mrs Coulter heard footsteps approaching the room, her husband coming home from work. Edward Coulter slammed the door shut as he entered and threw his jacket on the ground.

"Fetch me a gin will you?" He muttered , motioning to a servant.

"Bad day?" Mrs Coulter asked

"It's that damned Lord Asriel. He's back from the north."

Mrs Coulter had already heard this. She'd never met the man, he'd left England before she and Edward had even met, but he had been back for a day and the whole of London was ablaze with talk about him.

"I heard he was dead but no such luck" He continued "I was meeting with the King today, he strolls in, as if he hadn't been away for a year, and convinces him to repeal my taxation policy that I spent so long getting the consent for."

"Let me talk to the King" Mrs Coulter murmured.

"I don't know…" Edward answered, his hawk daemon rustled her feathers uncomfortably. He knew she would be able to get her way. She always did. Even so, he didn't like relying on his wife for political advantage. It was emasculating, he felt.

"Lord Asriel sounds interesting, if he managed to win the Kings favour away from you"

Edwards recent successes had mostly been a result of his wife however he was a good politician in his own right, she would never have married him otherwise.

"Interesting? Maybe. I can't stand the man" Edward fumed.

Mrs Coulter thought he resembled a sulking teenager far more than a 40 year old man had any right to.

"He's an utter scoundrel" Edward went on "The king actually forbade him to leave the country, when he did. Lord Asriel just ignored him. And you should hear the way he speaks, anyone else would be arrested for treason. Or heresy. I have no idea how he gets away with it."

Lord Asriel sounded like someone she would get along well with, Mrs Coulter thought to herself.

"I'm quite interested to meet him"

"Well you're in luck then, he'll probably be at the barons cocktail party tonight."

"Oh?"

"Just promise me something" Edward started sounding uncertain

"Anything darling"

"Don't speak to Lord Asriel anymore than courtesy requires."

"Of course not"

"Good. You are mine after all."

The golden monkey flinched, almost involuntarily at the word 'mine'. Mrs Coulter smiled blankly and nodded. The hardest thing about being married, she thought, was keeping your temper. It was nearly impossible for her, Edward managed to be completely infuriating no matter what the occasion.

"You had better get ready for the party tonight" Mrs Coulter said, changing the subject "The baron will be upset if we're late."

--

Lord Asriel stood in the corner of the room. One hand resting on his daemons head, the other holding a champaign flute. He sighed. He had forgotten how dull making small talk was.

"We've only been back for a few days" Stelmaria reminded him

"Awful isn't it?"

Asriel had only come to the party because he wanted to sell the baron some artefacts he had found during his last trip. He would have left by now if it wasn't for the woman. He had been watching her for most of the night. She was incredibly beautiful, her dark hair glistening in the anbaric light. Her daemon, a golden monkey had fur that seemed impossibly fine. She caught his eye and smiled slightly. She was talking to the Archbishop, a man Lord Asriel detested. Asriel would have thought the woman was enjoying his company, she was listening to whatever he was talking about with wide eyed enchantment, except for her daemon who was glancing around the room and fidgeting, betraying her restlessness.

The woman turned back to Lord Asriel and raised an eyebrow and then began to walk out of the room. He followed, feeling almost as if an invisible force was pulling him. He found her finally, looking at a painting of some saint being martyred. Asriel despised those paintings.

"It's an interesting picture, don't you think?" She murmured.

She hadn't turned around but her daemon was looking at Stelmaria, his expression unreadable.

"A little macabre I suppose." She went on, as Asriel hadn't answered.

Stelmaria had moved towards the monkey, her head bent in acknowledgment. However Lord Asriel had no interest in a discussion of art.

"I don't doubt your ability to make small talk but you needn't bother."

She turned around, her expression carefully blank. If she was offended by Lord Asriels rudeness she didn't give any sign.

"No? Perhaps you should try it. You might enjoy social events more if you didn't spend the entire night standing in the corner by yourself."

He smiled and nodded slightly.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Mrs Coulter, Edward Coulters wife." She stressed the word 'wife', perhaps it was a warning.

"So tell me about yourself, Mrs Coulter."

"I'm Edward Coulters wife. Surely that's all you need to know." She answered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"All that tells me is you have appalling taste in men." He answered.

She laughed softly. Their daemons were circling each other now, Stelmaria uttered a soft, sensual growl and the monkey moved closer to her.

"So tell me Mrs Coulter, what's your first name?"

She raised her eyebrow slightly. He supposed he was being more forward than polite society would deem appropriate, especially with a colleagues wife.

"It's Marisa."

"Well Marisa. Pleased to meet you" He said, taking her hand and kissing it. If he hadn't been concentrating on her face he would have noticed the golden monkey shiver with excitement.

"I'm Asriel Belacqua, by the way"

"I know. You seem to be all anyone can talk about these days."

Asriel shrugged. He didn't care much for gossip.

"Heard anything interesting?"

"Well I'm sure it can't all be true" She said with a smile "Apparently you've been investigated for heresy twice."

Asriel nodded. In fact he would have been arrested if the clergy man he'd spoken to hadn't been so terrified of him.

"Why? What did you do?"

"Researching the Barnard -Stokes hypothesis" He expected her to flinch when he said that, he had never met anyone who hadn't at least looked nervous when it was brought up, though London society would never speak about something so profoundly heretical. She merely nodded with interest.

"Have you seen the calculations?" He asked. It wasn't a good idea to talk about controversial ideas like the Barnard- Stokes hypothesis in public, much less a complete stranger. Asriel felt slightly unnerved as he realised he was trying to impress her.

"No I haven't…" She sounded as if she was grappling with curiosity.

They spent the rest of the night, talking about particle metaphysics. Asriel was impressed, there were few people who could keep up with him but she had wit to match his own easily.

"…so if people weren't so terrified and examined the evidence there would be absolutely no way for the church to deny the existence of other worlds" He finished unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"You know, you would be wise not to tell me about this. How do you know I won't go straight to the Magesterium? I can guess what Edward would make of it." She said.

Asriel shrugged again. He'd been foolish not to consider it, he supposed. Asriel was sure Mrs Coulter was entirely ruthless enough to let the authorities know about his philosophical views to be rid of a political rival but somehow, he knew she wouldn't.

"If I was arrested you'd be bored again?" He said, with a shrug. "We're alike, you know, we're both stifled. We have wealth, power, influence but one world isn't enough for people like us."

She looked taken aback. They both knew what Asriel had said was entirely apt.

"Well, perhaps" She said, inclining her head.

Her answer wasn't entirely satisfactory but then again, everything she had said was utterly enigmatic. Lord Asriel had never met someone so difficult to read but he was certain of one thing, he had finally met his match.


	2. church

It had been two days since he met Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel was feeling thoroughly annoyed.

"Why can't I get that damn woman out of my head?" He asked his daemon in frustration.

Stelmaria said nothing, her eyes glowing with a mixture of laughter and exasperation.

Lord Asriels mood wasn't improving because of their current location. He was walking through the poorest part of London, on his way back from a meeting with John Faa, the king of the Gyptians. As he wandered the narrow, cobbled paths he eyed his location with distaste. It was littered with grubby urchins and toothless old women. It was the last place Lord Asriel expected to see her.

Mrs Coulter was standing outside a small church shaking hands with an old priest. She was smiling, flashing her dazzling white teeth, the golden monkey just managing to suppress his disgust at the old mans dirty fingernails. Lord Asriel wondered for a moment what she was doing there, then he noticed a man, presumably a journalist, taking a photogram.

"She's a good politician" Stelmaria murmured "It will look good for Mr Coulter if his wife is seen looking after the poor."

Lord Asriel nodded. He watched as Mrs Coulter bent her head low to speak to a child who had been staring wide eyed at her. In fact a small crowd had gathered around the church. It wasn't every day a woman like Mrs Coulter was seen in this part of town and the kindly warmth she was exuding combined with her white dress made her look almost angelic.

Asriel grappled with his desire to go and speak to her versus his desire to avoid being a near a church. Mrs Coulter won. He strode over to Mrs Coulter, who had turned and was walking towards the church.

"Marisa. I'm surprised to run into you in a place like this." He said, speaking low as he grabbed her arm lightly.

She turned around looking slightly startled. However the golden monkey clapped its little hands together in delight.

"I'm just doing my Christian duty to my fellow men" She said with a slight smile

Asriel laughed.

"So I suppose the fact it makes a good picture for tomorrows paper has nothing to do with it then?"

"Of course not." She answered, not bothering to sound sincere. "And what brings you to this part of London?"

"I had some business with the Gyptian king."

Mrs Coulter raised an eyebrow "Ah yes. I had forgotten you were a famous defender of Gyptian rights. It upsets my husband terribly."

"Well all the more reason to do it I suppose"

"I've always wondered…what's the advantage in it for you?"

"Christian duty" Lord Asriel answered sarcastically.

She laughed. The golden monkey moved towards Stelmaria and stroked her fur playfully.

"Interesting. I wouldn't have thought a man investigated for heresy twice would have worried about trying to please The Authority."

"Well perhaps not. I find the Gyptians are far more worthwhile than most other people you find in London."

"Really? Even me?" She asked mischievously.

He smiled and said nothing. Stelmaria moved her head and nuzzled the Golden Monkeys fur softly. Mrs Coulter exhaled sharply, noticing their daemons had changed from being playful to something more sensual. The Golden Monkey looked at her for a second and then stepped back reluctantly.

"I'm about to attend a church service" She said changing the subject, trying to ignore the moment that had just passed between their daemons. "Would you care to join me?"

Lord Asriel despised the church, clergy and the idea of worshiping a higher power. He hadn't attended a service since he was a child but somehow he immediately answered her.

"It would be a pleasure."

Mrs Coulter knew Lord Asriel was only attending in order to spend time with her. She knew his views on the church perfectly well. She had only asked in order to test him and now that he had answered she felt her heart beat a little faster. Excitement, and nervousness. She had met a man she wasn't sure she could control. Even more disconcerting, she wasn't sure if she could control herself. The sermon they were listening to was, quite appropriately, about the sin of lust. The priest was particularly fervent in detailing the punishment sinners would face in hell. It was the kind of sermon that usually had an effect on her but today she could barely listen. Mrs Coulter tried to tell herself it was because it was an old, crumbling church that couldn't compare to the splendour of the cathedrals that she was used to. But somehow she couldn't help but be intensely aware of Lord Asriels presence next to her. His eyes were narrowed in sardonic amusement, one hand rested on his daemons head, the other so close to hers.

Finally the service finished.

"I would ask if you wanted me to walk you home, but I suspect you might find it patronising" Lord Asriel murmured to her as they left the decrepit church.

Mrs Coulter smiled though she was quite taken aback. He seemed to understand her better than any other man she had ever met.

"Quite right. Good night Asriel" She answered

"Good night then Marisa" He said nodding to her. He turned on his heel and strode out into the night leaving her standing for a moment, watching him walk away.

………………………………...

Mrs Coulter had barely woken the next morning when her husband stormed in, fully dressed in a suit despite the early hour of the day.

"What is this?" He muttered, thrusting the morning paper into her hands.

Still a little drowsy it took her eyes a moment to focus on the front page. It was a picture of Lord Asriel and herself outside the church. She bit her lower lip, she hadn't realised how close she had been standing to him. In the photogram they were both smiling, as though sharing some secret joke.

"I don't see what the problem is" she began, trying to salvage the situation "look at the article it's congratulating both of our humanitarian efforts"

"You don't see what the problem is!" Edward exclaimed "Look at that photo. What were you even doing there with Lord Asriel?"

"Nothing. I just happened to run into him. No one except you would think anything of it."

Edward said nothing. His daemon flapped her wings in exasperation.

"Quite frankly Edward I can't handle you're constant barrage of suspicions. You know I try so hard to further your career. I spent hours down in the slums of London the other day, do you have any idea how filthy those people are? I would only ever put up with it for you." She spoke passionately, allowing her voice to tremble for effect. She coughed softly, as if stifling a sob.

Edward melted. "I'm sorry."

His daemon moved towards the golden monkey who clung to it tragically.

"It's just I know there are so many men after you. I shouldn't take it out on you." He spoke awkwardly but sincerely. He wasn't a man that was used to apologizing.

Mrs Coulter nodded. It was difficult not to smirk, sometimes manipulating people seemed far too easy. However she realised she would have to be more careful from now on. A voice at the back of her mind told her that she was getting herself into a dangerous situation.


	3. anticipation

**Stelmaria licked her fur. Asriel was irritated, his daemon always seemed distracted these days. **

"**You're the one who isn't concentrating" She muttered to him one day at a meeting with the kings council.**

**She was right. Edward Coulter had just put an eloquent defence of raising taxes on the poor that, had Asriel been listening, he would have been outraged about. **

**Infuriatingly his mind was preoccupied with Edwards Coulter's wife. Mrs Coulter seemed to be everywhere these days: at parties, though in truth he only went to parties that he was sure she would attend and constantly in the paper, maybe he only read articles that discussed her. **

"**I despise that woman." He muttered to his daemon. It wasn't a lie. He felt more unhinged than he ever had in his life. Mrs Coulter was beautiful but he could have dealt with that. She was powerful and independent, he could have dealt with that also. His problem stemmed from the fact he didn't make any recognisable impression on her. She was an equal. It was disturbing. Dangerous. But at the same time maddeningly irresistible. Stelmaria merely looked amused at his protests. **

**The next time he saw her was at Westminster. She was murmuring something to Mr Coulter in low and rushed tones. Some kind of urgent political advice Asriel supposed. He wandered over to the two of them. **

"**I hope I'm not interrupting anything" He said, ignoring the fact he was clearly interrupting something. Asriel felt vindicated by the look of pure outrage on Edward Coulter's face. Mrs Coulter merely raised an eyebrow. The Golden Monkey flashed a toothy grin. **

"**We were talking about Gyptians. Specifically, whether they should be allowed to make port anywhere in England." Edward began unhappily. **

"**Of course they should" Asriel muttered, barely bothered to partake in the age old debate. **

"**Yes my wife recently changed her mind about the subject. I certainly know I never will"**

**Asriel raised an eyebrow. Could Mrs Coulter have changed her political views due to him? It almost seemed too much to hope for. Then again, why should that matter to him at all, Stelmaria reminded him. **

"**Oh don't look so hopeful Asriel" Mrs Coulter began with a laugh. "If Gyptians are in England more frequently they have to spend money in England more frequently. My only concern is taxation."**

"**And here I though you had developed a moral compass" **

**Edward looked worried. "Well obviously the well being of the Gyptian population is at the forefront of all of our concerns. I don't find the possession of a moral compass something to joke about." He said earnestly. **

**Mrs Coulter caught Lord Asriels eye. It took all her self control to refrain from laughing. **

"**By the bye Asriel" She began, ignoring Edwards wide eyed shock at the informality with which she addressed him "we're having a party on Saturday. Just our closest friends. We would love it if you could join us."**

"**Yes. It would be a pleasure." Edward Coulter muttered though his teeth were clenched and he stared at his wife with incredulity. **

**Lord Asriel smiled. At this moment he felt unreasonably pleased that Mr Coulter was strained by the bonds of polite society. **

"**I wouldn't miss it for the world." He addressed only Mrs Coulter. There was some unspoken agreement that they would never mention but they both understood. Whatever happened at the Coulters party on Saturday would change everything between them. That much was clear. Neither of them realised that Saturday would start the chain of reactions that would change the entire world. More than that, it would change every single world in existence and every single world that would ever exist. Maybe it was fate. **


End file.
